Chapter 679

Chapter 679: The Signal Appears Again

A nest hidden in the dense fog at the border, a place that might have been operating steadily for many years—invisible to the entire civilized world and even in the blind spot of the Four Gods Church’s surveillance. In that place, the Annihilators had built a “Veil colony” capable of surviving long?term inside the “Eternal Veil”. This news shocked everyone present at once.

Banster’s voice was hoarse and gloomy, and the expression on the old man in black robes was especially grave: “For so many years, we have been searching for the cultists’ nests. Among the three main heretical cults, the Enders are ‘freaks’ that are discontinuous on the timeline, and the Suntists are sheltered by the Black Sun outside the Mortal Realm. Only the Annihilators… in theory they must have one or more nests somewhere in the Mortal Realm, but after all these years, we have never found them…”

Helena nodded: “I never thought it would be hiding in a place like that. But it does explain how they managed to evade the Church’s hunts for so many years. If those Annihilators have really found a way to survive long?term in the Eternal Veil, then they have clearly taken a big step ahead of us.”

As she spoke, she turned her gaze toward Rune: “How do you think those cultists have managed to survive at the border?”

Rune shook his head: “‘Holy Land’ might not be something they built by their own power. Technology does not develop overnight. No matter how much forbidden knowledge the Annihilators have, they cannot create a sanctuary world that far beyond our imagination out of nothing. After all, we have all dealt with them. Everyone knows exactly how capable that twisted bunch really is. I suspect much more that they found some kind of naturally existing ‘legacy’ in the fog… after all, that is the border. Anything can appear there.”

He suddenly stopped there, lifted his head, and looked at Duncan with a very serious expression: “From what you just said, it sounds like you still have not located this ‘nest’ exactly. Then how can you be sure that it…”

“I told you, I captured one of their ships.” Duncan answered casually. “Right now that ship is sailing back toward the ‘Holy Land’ under my orders. It will probably take a few more days. Judging by its current course, its destination should be some hidden spot on the southeastern border, not very far from here… The Vanished will set out before long and meet it before it enters the Veil. What about you? Interested in joining the fun?”

The popes looked at one another when they heard this.

From Duncan’s first couple of sentences, they had already sensed the eerie, dangerous side of this ghost captain. But fortunately, this dangerous power was now standing on their side.

So all that was left for them to consider was how to respond to this “invitation”.

After a short pause for thought, Frem suddenly spoke: “The southeastern border… the Death Church happens to have a fleet over there.” He glanced at Helena. “‘Tide’ should also be in that area, right? They should all be able to make it in time.”

“Yes. The Deep Sea Church can send the nearest fleet over.” Helena nodded at once, looking at Duncan. “Wiping out the cultists’ nest is our duty. And we also know how to deal with the ‘corruption’ they leave behind.”

Several gazes fell on Banster. The old man in black robes did not show much change in expression. He only tightened his face and nodded: “I will send Rest and No Rest. They are powerful new warships.”

The popes and bishops all nodded when they heard this, as if to show their approval of Banster’s arrangement. But Duncan could not help focusing on the Death Church’s very distinctive way of naming its ships. After holding it in for a long time, he still could not stop himself from saying: “They sound like sister ships… the names are quite something…”

“Many of the Death Church’s powerful warships serve in twin squadrons. That is related to our faith.” Banster explained with a very straight face. “We believe everything in this world has two sides, just like the opposition and companionship between life and death.”

Duncan felt that the old gentleman in black robes did not seem to notice his strong urge to make fun of them—but he also felt that this topic should end here.

Because he was afraid the next thing they would come up with would be something like a warship named “Nine Clans Wipeout” or something along those lines…

“Then we will settle it like this.” He nodded and somewhat stiffly pulled the topic back on track. “I will have the Vanished lead your fleets to the rendezvous point. But I have to warn you ahead of time: some time has already passed since I ‘captured’ that ship. The cultists left in the Holy Land have certainly realized what happened. They will already be prepared—either they have withdrawn, or they have set up an ambush in the surrounding waters, or the Holy Land itself may have formidable combat capabilities. You must take these risks and variables into account in advance.”

“Risk and uncertainty have always been an indispensable part of cleansing evil filth.” Banster’s face was calm. “Our warriors are long used to it.”

“Good. Then next I will tell you about the intel I have gathered from those Annihilators lately…”

…

sunlight streamed through the window, falling softly into the room. The air was filled with the strong smell of medicinal plasters, mixed with a hint of refreshing incense.

Ted Riel stood before the window, gazing outside in thought.

From this vantage point, he could see the massive Academy Ark moored along the city’s shoreline, and in the other direction, the steep “shore” along the edge of the Flamebearer temple.

On the streets, he could still see citizens hurrying toward the docks, watching groups of people running together to see those majestic Cathedral ships. The festive banners strung between the buildings that morning were still fluttering in the sunlight, and colored paper flowers blown from somewhere spiraled past the window on the wind before vanishing into the clear sky in the distance.

People did not know the details of this special “gathering”. They did not know what the gods’ heralds were discussing together. They certainly did not know what changes the Fifth Ark had brought, nor that the popes, Their Eminences, had already left the ark and gone to that ghost ship the world had feared and watched warily for a century. For most ordinary people, all of this was far too distant from their lives.

“…Ignorance really is a kind of blessing sometimes.”

Ted Riel pulled his gaze back from the street and murmured to himself.

A voice came almost at once from the bed not far away: “But if your own student has that ‘blessing’, it is not such a blessing for the teacher.”

Ted Riel’s mouth twitched. He turned his head to look at Taran Ael, the scholar lying on the bed: “A slipped disc still doesn’t stop you from making snide remarks, does it?”

“Exactly. It’s my disc that’s slipped, not my vocal cords…”

“…Next time you are destined to get hemorrhoids, and when that happens, I’m going to eat three Bay Inferno Wraps in front of you in fifteen minutes!”

“Rahm preserve me. As a dignified Truth Keeper, can’t you be a little more refined and generous?” Taran Ael wriggled on the bed to change position, then bared his teeth and flopped back where he was. “Look at the state I’m in…”

Ted Riel did not answer this grand scholar, who was stuck in bed with a bad back and so bored that he could only tease people for fun. After a moment of silence, he glanced out the window again: “I wonder what they’re going to talk about today.”

Taran Ael lifted his head to look at the friend who had come to visit him: “You are a Truth Keeper. You really don’t know anything?”

“Taran, you know the Pilgrimage Arks operate independently from the city?state system.” Ted Riel shook his head. “There are some things that become corruption for the whole world the moment they spread outside the arks. When a Truth Keeper walks too closely among ordinary people, they naturally have to keep a certain distance from the deepest secrets.”

“…That’s true.” Taran Ael thought for a moment and sighed: “So you, the ‘big shot’, can only come keep me, the patient, company when the big bosses are busy talking things over…”

Ted Riel did not respond, and his silence only made a certain grand scholar feel even more bored. Taran Ael stayed quiet for barely half a minute before suddenly blurting out: “Seriously, do you think Their Eminences the popes are going to end up fighting with the ‘captain’ on that ship…?”

“What do you think? How about I pass all these questions on to Rune when Teacher Rune comes back and let him answer you personally?”

Taran Ael shrugged and finally fell silent.

Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded in the hallway, cutting off the “warm, lively conversation” between the scholar and the Truth Keeper.

There was a knock at the door, along with a slightly nervous, hurried young voice: “Teacher, something’s happened…”

Taran Ael recognized his student’s voice and spoke at once before Ted could say anything: “Come in.”

The door opened, and a clumsy young apprentice came in, arms full of paper tape.

But just as he was about to speak, he saw the Truth Keeper standing in the room. He immediately froze where he was, suddenly forgetting what he wanted to say.

Ted Riel was the first to break the silence: “Your teacher is currently locked in combat with his lumbar disc. So if it’s just a problem with your studies, ask me.”

Taran Ael braced himself and forced his way up into a sitting position, baring his teeth in pain as he looked at the nervous young apprentice standing in the middle of the room: “Joshua, calm down—what happened?”

“Oh… oh!” The young apprentice finally reacted. He quickly bent to salute the Truth Keeper, then hurried over to his teacher’s bedside. “Teacher, there’s a situation at the offshore research station. They received a signal, coming from the center of that ‘glowing orb’ emitter…”

As he spoke, he handed the long strip of paper covered in waveform graphs to Taran Ael.

“This signal… is very similar to the one the glowing orb sent during the Sun’s blackout…”